Fine Gael goes on attack in response to campaign slump

You are fighting a single-issue election campaign where your leader is failing to inspire, and your rivals are slowly making ground on you.

Fine Gael is slumping in the polls and its election campaign has not proceeded as smoothly as it may have expected, or hoped.

The mantra of “Keep the Recovery Going” is falling flat. Voters are either sick of hearing it, or disillusioned by the claim because they have not felt any evidence of a recovery.

So what does the party leadership do? Easy: you go on the attack and send out your best men and women to fight your case. Use your strongest asset.

Michael Noonan is not a threat to anyone in Fine Gael. He doesn't want to be leader, and his single political ambition is to be re-appointed as Minister for Finance in the next government.

He was joined by the best two boys in class yesterday, Minister of State Simon Harris, and the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney as part of a three-pronged attack squad.

All three were there to fight for the Taoiseach and the party.

Everyone was uniformly on message. Fianna Fáil is deceptive; Sinn Féin is wrong; the Independents are "chicken licken".

“I’ll see you your black hole and I’ll raise it.”

You may not have noticed it but there has been a subtle shift in the Fine Gael message.

They now openly accept that the mythical recovery has not been felt by all - a slight admission, on their behalf, that their original strategy has not worked.

We will not have to wait long to see if this change in approach will pay off. Three opinion polls are expected this weekend and will shape the final week of the election campaign.

It is still all to play for and we can’t wait for the battle.

Repeal the Eighth

The Labour Party yesterday launched its campaign to repeal the Eighth amendment to the Constitution if re-elected to government.

This makes it the only main political party to firmly put the abortion legislation as an election issue. (Yes, Sinn Féin has also committed to the repeal of the Eighth, but it hasn’t exactly been keenly promoting their proposals over the last two weeks. AAA-PBP are also in favour of repeal).

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are terrified of the question. Should the Eighth stay or go? For them, it’s either a case of radio silence or utter discomfort.

It is why a simple election slogan of “Repeal the Eighth” does not work. It is identifying a perceived problem but not offering a solution.

Repealing the Eighth amendment simply deletes it from the Constitution. The bigger issue is, what replaces it?

Regardless of whether you are pro-choice or anti-abortion - or, like most of Ireland, somewhere in between - it is now widely recognised that the Eighth Amendment has failed.

Its original intention was to stop abortion completely. The Supreme Court ruling in the X Case means it has failed to do so.

Instead, it criminalises women who have been raped or who are the victim of incest, and who do not want a child as a result.

It also criminalises women whose child will never live to experience life outside the womb, even for a moment, and who want to avoid that trauma.

It protects the right to life of a prospective mother, but has no regard for the effect on her long-term health.

Decisions that should be made by parents and their doctors are being made by lawyers based on a constitutional clause that does not achieve what its own supporters intended it to.

Repealing the Eighth amendment should not become an election slogan for parties to promote during election campaigns.

Nor should it be ignored by those against a change in the legislation. Voters have a right to know their position on what is a crucial issue.

Repealing the Eighth is not an attempt to promote abortion on demand - and should not be seen as that.

But using an election slogan that does not offer voters a replacement is not the solution either.

Voters shouldn’t have to wait until a citizens’ forum is established. The debate should start now.